Shaft (2000) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error New York City police detective John Shaft (nephew of the original 1970s detective) goes on a personal mission to make sure the son of a real estate tycoon is brought to justice after a racially-motivated murder. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 21 titles created 23 Feb 2011 a list of 46 titles created 06 Sep 2011 a list of 26 images created 18 Jun 2012 a list of 48 titles created 10 Jul 2014 a list of 29 titles created 1 month ago Search for " Shaft " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 13 nominations.

See more awards » Photos Cool black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter. Director: Gordon Parks An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a third world country. Director: William Friedkin An American master chemist plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal. All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit. Director: Ronny Yu The story of what happens one day in New York when a young lawyer and a businessman share a small automobile accident on F.D.R. Drive and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud. Director: Roger Michell An imprisoned drug kingpin offers a huge cash reward to anyone that can break him out of police custody and only the LAPD's Special Weapons and Tactics team can prevent it. Director: Clark Johnson In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth. Director: F. Gary Gray A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting everything ablaze, establishing dominance over the planet.

Director: Rob Bowman After surviving a brutal attack (Instrument used was a board with nails in it) by a student, teacher Trevor Garfield moves from New York to Los Angeles. Director: Kevin Reynolds A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell led by Gabriel Shear wants the money to help finance their war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away. Gabriel brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson to help him. Director: Dominic Sena An extreme sports athlete, Xander Cage, is recruited by the government on a special mission. Director: Rob Cohen A tough-minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence that comes between them. Director: David Ayer Four brothers look to avenge their mother's death. Director: John Singleton Edit Storyline New York Police Detective John Shaft is the lead detective on a sensitive case, a young black man is severely beaten. The man's companions tell Shaft that their friend humiliated the one who was sprouting racial slurs at him. Shaft confronts him and he says he's Walter Wade Jr. , the son of a wealthy man. Shaft finds that he has the id of a woman who's a waitress at the bar where Wade and the guy who was attacked were.

When Wade continues to hurl racist comments, Shaft smacks him. Shaft later learns because of his actions Wade was granted bail and fled. Two years later, Wade returns and Shaft arrests him. At his hearing when the judge grants him bail, that's when Shaft throws his badge at the judge. He then sets out to get Wade by finding the waitress. Wade in the meantime asks a drug dealer named Peoples Hernandez to find the waitress and make sure she doesn't talk. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com Still the man, any questions? Genres: Rated R for strong violence and language | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 16 June 2000 (USA) See more » Also Known As: $21,714,757 (USA) (16 June 2000) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia According to an interview with Christian Bale , one of the main reasons why he took the role was because of a fight scene between Walter Wade and Shaft on an airport runway. The scene was filmed but was cut to make room for more scenes with Jeffrey Wright who scored highly with preview audiences.

See more » Goofs At the beginning of the movie, the blood is on Walter's left hand when Shaft arrests him. In all of the flashbacks, the blood is on the right hand. See more » Quotes by T. Allen, L. Campbell and J. Skinner Performed by Liberty City (Atlanta, GA) – See all my reviews Thirty years is a long time to wait to make a sequel, especially when no one is clamoring for one. Director/Writer/Producer John Singleton decided it was about time. The result is a solid, but undistinguished crime drama. The elements of this story have been told so many times that they are becoming hackneyed. A tough, no-nonsense cop fights evil and corruption to bring justice to the streets while often disregarding the law. A spoiled rich kid is trying to get away with murder by hiring a drug dealer to snuff an eyewitness with the help of a couple of dirty cops. This is not vanguard material. Singleton's direction is good in the action sequences (of which there are plenty) and adequate in the dramatic scenes. In this film, he doesn't bring much innovation to the screen, with very straightforward shots and mundane locations.

In an overly reverent gesture to the original film, he brings back Richard Roundtree (the original Shaft) as the current Shaft's (Samuel L. Jackson) uncle and mentor. There is also a cameo appearance by Gordon Parks, the director of the original, and of course, Isaac Hayes theme song is back. The film is elevated from mediocrity by the acting. Samuel L. Jackson is an outstanding actor and slips on the character of this tough, streetwise cop like a tailored glove. When he's bad, he's very very bad and when he is good, he's almost saintly. Christian Bale also gives a fine performance as the despicable rich kid who thinks his wealth puts him above the law. Jeffrey Wright is explosive as the egomaniac drug lord. The supporting actors are also excellent. This is an entertaining film despite its lack of originality. I rated it a 7/10. Action junkies add a point or two. This film is extremely violent with a high body count. 31 of 38 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Super Reviewer ½ This spin off of the classic 70s blaxploitation series is an unfortunately maligned and under appreciated gem. Samuel L. Jackson is perfectly cast a John Shaft- a tough NYC homicide detective who is the nephew of the John Shaft from the original series. The plot (and there's a lot of it, surprisingly), follows Shaft as he investigates a racially motivated murder at the hands of Walter Wade, Jr.- a racist, sociopath son of a construction tycoon. Wade flees the country after making bail, but return two years later to find and kill the only witness to the crime. Shaft makes it his personal mission to bring Wade down, using whatever means necessary. It sounds simple, but I'm excluding some of the details which involve corruption, a Dominican drug lord, and that sort of thing. For what should be a relatively simple and straightforward exploitation film, this one has a lot, perhaps too much going on. I liked that they tried to be ambitious, but it wasn't really necessary. And counter to the films it is an homage to, there's little in the way of meaningful subtext and depth, though it does touch upon some stuff a bit.

The film has some decent action, doesn't tarnish the legacy its tapping into, and has some solid performances as well. I don't really get the hate, but I guess it would have to do with being rather unoriginal and having some big shoes to fill. For what it is, the film is fine. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's entertaining enough. Jackson is perfectly cast, even if he arguably gives a performance that isn't all that different from many of his other roles, Bale gives a passable, though shallow performance as Wade, Jr., and there's lots of notable people thrown in the mix as well, including cameos from Richard Roundtree and Gordon Parks, Sr. It is odd that Jeffrey Wright is cast as the Dominican, and his performance is odd, but that may be the only thing about this that really actually bothers me. Give this one a chance. It's really not a bad film at all. Plus, the music is just a nice little topping to this cinematic dessert. Chris Weber Super Reviewer Shaft is who SLJ plays in every movie. He is a constant badass in most of his films. I won't say it's a problem. I mean why fix what isn't broken right?

He's good at playing these characters. They suit him well. I didn't love the movie. I thought it was kind of cheesy at times. But the action was OK and the acting wasn't too bad. It reminded me of a movie that would have went straight to DVD. I just wasn't impressed and it's not something I would see again. ♥˩ƳИИ ƜѲѲƉƧ♥ Super Reviewer Shaft is an unimpressive action film that is loosely based on the classic of the same name. I found it quite bad. Shaft didn't thrill me, and frankly, I was disappointed. I felt that the film could have been much better, and that it didn't anything to really entertain you. The thing is, Shaft has a poorly constructed script that is overly vulgar, and relies on that to try and entertain the viewer. Shaft is a pretty bland film and uses cliché upon cliché to create its story. Shaft doesn't differ from other cop films, and offers nothing new to the genre. The film is mediocre that really isn't entertaining. The cast is awful, and they don't do anything that elevates this film into being something really entertaining. The film is dull, boring and unimpressive.

Shaft relies on its profanity to be "entertaining", unfortunately, it isn't entertaining. Shaft is a boring action film that is unimpressive to watch and frankly is a waste of time. I did not enjoy this film, and I thought that it was a missed opportunity to do something interesting. This is yet another remake that fails to capture the thrills of the original. The films flaws lies within a poorly written script, a bad cast and overall poor directing. Shaft is a mediocre film that misses the mark, and is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. The film is poorly conceived, and doesn't capture the elements which the original film a good, entertaining viewing experience. This remake fails to entertain and is marred with a bad script that is the film fatal flaw. Alex roy New Line Will Make a New Shaft Movie - /Film /Film New Line Will Make a New ‘Shaft’ Movie Posted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 by Russ Fischer Shaft was born in the early ’70s, when Richard Roundtree played the seductive and violent private detective John Shaft for director Gordon Parks.

The story continued in two sequels and a short TV series, then was picked up years later, in 2000, when Samuel L. Jackson played John Shaft’s nephew, with the character at the center of a film directed by John Singleton. Now New Line wants to make a new Shaft movie — we just don’t know what this one will look like. The Wrap reports on the rights landing at New Line, saying that producer John Davis (Predator) will produce. There’s little info available about the new film, as it is just beginning development. There’s no writer to announce, much less a director or star. We don’t even know if this will continue the family lineage of the characters, or simply reboot the character entirely. The report says that Shaft will be recast, so it’ll be a new version of the character at least based on that criteria. And while we don’t know anything about plot, one guess for the story’s jumping-off point is that Shaft might address the increasingly tense relationships between black communities and cops. The previous films have featured corrupt cops, but attacking concepts of institutionalized corruption and racism would be an escalation for Shaft.

Turning Shaft into a hero who fights for his community could be a way to make this movie relevant and even proactive, as long as the producers prevent the film from seeming crassly exploitative at the same time. Cool Posts From Around the Web: Shaft Movie Review & Film Summary (2000) | Roger Ebert Tweet John Singleton's "Shaft" is a blaxpolitation film with a modern urban drama trapped inside. Or maybe it's the other way around. On the one hand, we have John Shaft telling a pickup, "It's my duty to please the booty." On the other hand, we have a scene between a rich kid and a drug dealer that's so well written and acted, it's chilling. Advertisement At the center of the tug of war, pulled both ways and enjoying it, is Samuel L. Jackson , as a tough cop who throws his badge back at a judge (literally) and becomes a free-lance vigilante. The story's broad outlines are familiar not only from early 1970s black exploitation movies, but also from the early " Dirty Harry " pictures, and when a top cop orders Shaft to get out of his precinct, it's like he's reciting dialogue from the classics.

The movie has the obligatory elements of black exploitation (big cars, drugs, cigars, guns, sleazy nightclubs, gold chains, racism, babes, black leather coats, expensive booze, crooked white cops). But a newer sensibility sneaks in, probably thanks to a screenplay primarily by Richard Price , who wrote " Clockers " and specializes in dialogue that allows the characters some poetry; I like lines like "It's Giuliani time!" On top of reports that Singleton and Jackson had many disagreements on the set, there were stories that neither of them much liked the Price screenplay, maybe because it nailed the small moments but missed the broader Shaftian strokes. Whatever compromises were made, the result is a movie more interesting than it might have been: not just a retread of the old movie, but Shaft as more complicated than before, and with well-observed supporting characters. Jackson is at the center of the action, "too black for the uniform, too blue for the brothers," wearing a wicked goatee that looks like it was designed by a comic book artist. He's a cop made angry when a rich man's son ( Christian Bale ) murders a black youth, gets an easy bail and skips to Switzerland.

As one of the first on the crime scene, Shaft believes that a waitress ( Toni Collette ) saw more than she admits. Two years pass, the rich kid returns to the country, Shaft nabs him, and then the plot involves his partner ( Busta Rhymes ), the drug kingpin ( Jeffrey Wright ), the sexy narcotics cop ( Vanessa Williams ), the larcenous cop ( Dan Hedaya ) and his partner Luger ( Lee Tergesen ). Always look twice at a cop named Luger. Advertisement The casting here makes for some interesting echoes. Hedaya of course played the crooked cop in " The Hurricane ," and Bale had the title role in " American Psycho ." Collette, who was the mother in " The Sixth Sense ," is a good choice for the waitress; there's always something a little edgy about her. There's another echo in Bale's hairstyle, which evokes uncanny memories of JFK Jr. One thing modern about the movie is its low sexual quotient. Blaxploitation came along at a time when American movies were sexy, with lots of nudity and bedroom time.

Modern action pictures seem prudish by comparison; like " Gone In 60 Seconds " and " Mission: Impossible II " this one prefers action to sex. Can it be that Hollywood's Friday night specials, which were aimed at teenage boys, have now lowered their sights to include a demographic group so young, it thinks girls are creepy? The most intriguing relationship in the movie is between Bale and Wright, as the rich kid and the drug dealer. There's a scene where Bale comes to Wright, hoping to pay for a hit. Wright is not much into murder for hire, but wants the kid's connections as a way to develop a more affluent clientele for his drugs. The way they talk to each other, the words they choose, the attitudes they strike, the changes they go through, are as subtly menacing as scenes in a film by Lee or Scorsese. The movie doesn't give us stereotypes in these two familiar roles, but closely examined originals. The John Shaft character is more mainstream, but Jackson has a way of bringing weight to his roles. He always looks like he means it. But there's a disconnect between the realism of the murder case and the fantasy of Shaft's career as an unleashed vigilante who leaves countless dead bodies behind him.

Different scenes seem to occupy different levels of reality. Of course the movie ends with a gunfight and a chase scene. That goes without saying. Advertisement Is this a good movie? Not exactly; too much of it is on automatic pilot, as it must be, to satisfy the fans of the original "Shaft." Is it better than I expected? Yes. There are flashes here of the talent that Singleton has possessed ever since " Boyz N the Hood " and strong acting and efficient action. Jackson makes a commanding Shaft (and a supporting role by Richard Roundtree , the original Shaft, serves to pass the mantle). The movie is what it is, but more than it needs to be. Popular Blog Posts AboutFilm.Com - Shaft (2000) Shaft USA , 2000. Rated R. 99 minutes. Cast: Samuel L.

Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Toni Collette, Busta Rhymes, Richard Roundtree, Dan Hedaya, Ruben Santiago-Hudson Writers: John Singleton (story), Shane Salerno (screenplay & story), Richard Price (screenplay & story) Music: David Arnold Grade: D- Review by Glenn Sheridan ho is the man, who would risk his neck for his brother man? Shaft! Yes, the man whose DNA makes him walk in the middle of oncoming traffic is back... and this time he's got an Armani wardrobe and a much bigger paycheck. Back in the day the movie posters screamed "Hotter than Bond�Cooler than Bullitt"; perhaps today's tagline could be "Hotter than Bond�Cooler than... Bulworth"? Isaac Hayes' original theme song played like the heartbeat of the original 1971 Shaft movie, and the transplant to this newer film's opening and closing credits lends instant credibility and ambience by association.

Director John Singleton basically succeeds in paying homage to the Gordon Parks directed original�a forgettable film that nevertheless spawned two sequels and a TV series, bailed out struggling MGM Pictures, made a star of Richard Roundtree, and kickstarted the whole Blaxploitation genre. Those early 70's b-films, made mainly by white producers for black audiences, were spoofed in the 1988 film I'm Gonna Get You Sucka, and had titles like Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold and The Mack. They may seem negligible and dated to the CGI-soaked eyeballs of today's movie audiences, but without them, it's doubtful films like Do The Right Thing, Menace II Society or even Pulp Fiction would ever have made it to the screen. Plus, those films have the best soundtracks around. You dig? Shaft begins with New York City Police Detective John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson�Rules of Engagement, The Negotiator ) arriving at the scene of a brutal attack on a young black man outside a ritzy bar. With the help of a waitress (Toni Collette) who furtively identifies the attacker as richboy Walter Wade, Jr.

(Christian Bale� American Psycho ), Shaft soon has his man in custody. The victim dies; the terrified waitress (and sole witness) vanishes, and Wade's moneyed status allows him to jump bail and flee the country. Two years later, with the aid of his streetwise cohort Rasaan (Busta Rhymes), Shaft hauls Wade back into custody as he sneaks back into the country. In the meantime, our hero has been doing his best to put the squeeze on Dominican druglord "Peoples" Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright) by throwing him in jail on a bogus charge following an unsuccessful drug raid. One unjust thing leads to another, and Wade is out on bail once more, free to play "Get That Waitress!" (a variation on the old Hollywood theme of "Silence That Witness!") with the help of his new Dominican acquaintance. It's enough to make a good cop quit the force in disgust and handle things his own way. You can probably guess what comes next, even if you haven't seen the trailers. The excellent dual villain performances of Bale and Wright make for a smarter-than-average plot formula, since their respective characters each have their own personal reasons for wanting Shaft out of commission.

Jackson's turn as recalcitrant cop John Shaft�a stunningly, self-assured screen presence�rounds out this tripartite struggle. Jeffrey Wright (a Tony award winner for Angels in America) crafts a character compelling enough in Peoples to match Shaft in swagger and Wade, Jr. in cunning. At times he actually seems to slow the rest of the movie down to match his own laconic pace. It's quite a thing to behold. His accent is troublesome, however; it's often so thick it's a distraction. Nevertheless, this is a small price to pay for a compelling villain these days, considering the feeble competition for your multiplex dollar. Early on, the film shifts focus from Shaft railing powerlessly against a corrupt system that protects people like Wade to his more sure-footed dealings with career criminals like Peoples. In the game of cops and robbers, each side usually knows where to find the other.

The Wade character doesn't play by the usual rules, however, so partway through the movie you may get the feeling that you've lost something, finally mumbling to yourself, "Hey, wasn't there another bad guy in this film?" As Wade, Bale is vile and completely unrepentant, leaping out from the screen like some evil, human exclamation mark. But then he just disappears for awhile; eventually showing up for an unconvincing onscreen reunion with Peoples that only reminds the audience of his wasted potential as a truly memorable movie villain. There are other obvious continuity gaps in the film, probably because this Shaft is just not as grounded in reality as the original, but it can afford to coast along on Jackson's charm. Singleton has done reality flicks (Rosewood, Boyz in the Hood), and hasn't been particularly well rewarded financially, so it's possible he's just flexing some new muscles here. Roundtree returns in his original role of John Shaft, to play uncle and mentor to the new John Shaft. Uncle John is a little older and wiser, but he is no less cynical and no less attractive to the ladies, judging by the two on his arms as he leaves the Lennox Lounge.

Look closely and you might also see Gordon Parks in that bar, seated at a table. This is where the film really shows its spark�in the little touches. Hardly anyone knows who Parks is, much less what he looks like. But by putting the first black director of a studio feature in his picture, Singleton shows he knows what he's doing and why. The rest of the cast is exploited for maximum dramatic and/or comedic effect. Rhymes is especially noteworthy. (How does Singleton get these performances out of rappers?) However, Vanessa Williams needs much more screen time in order to round out her supporting character. As his I've-got-your-back fellow cop, she seems the closest thing to a constant female presence in Shaft's life (remember the song "He's a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman"). The motivations of some of the other characters are little difficult to fathom, especially the dirty cops (Dan Hedaya and Ruben Santiago-Hudson). And this generation of Shaft seems a little too teflon-coated. Hardly anyone lays a finger on him throughout the whole movie, so I guess all that Jedi mind training over at The Phantom Menace really paid off.

There is a lot of funny dialogue in Shaft, but you don't often get much time to enjoy the humour before something else grabs your attention. When you hear Shaft utter a line like, "It's Giuliani time!" you know you are in for some serious people and property damage. Singleton and co-screenwriters Shane Salerno and Richard Price (Clockers) have crafted something entertaining and rare here�a fun movie with soul. Check out the scene of a man plummeting from a tall building immediately following a brief scene featuring the two crooked cops walking out of a building�one asks the other "How did the [stock] market do today?" The whole thing lasts maybe 12 seconds. Subtle and inspired! AboutFilm.Com Jen - Despite, or perhaps even because of, the tension on set, the film's main strength is Jackson himself. Jackson raised the ire of producer Scott Rudin (The Firm, Sleepy Hollow ) by refusing to use some of Price's re-written dialogue, declaring it to be too white. Rudin responded by deleting all but two of Shaft's sexual encounters (including the one in the opening credits that isn't even Jackson). So there is almost no sex in the film at all.

The story doesn't really suffer because of it, but it is a noticeable flaw. Another is the scene of Shaft's vicious pistol-whipping of a young, small-time drug pusher. Despite trying for a macabre Tarantino-esque comic set-up, the show-all approach is too dark for its own good. The punishment, meant to deter him from ruining the life of a 12-year-old boy, is likely the only way the punk will get the message. But the scene goes way beyond what is necessary to show that "the ends justifies the means" ideology runs in the Shaft family. Not so subtle. Jackson is perfect for this part. There is an underlying playfulness to his screen personality that forms part of his gruff exterior. What sets Jackson apart from other African-American stars like Will Smith or Eddie Murphy is the kind of humour his characters emanate (Jimmy in Hard Eight or Jules in Pulp Fiction for instance). It's not cute or self-deprecating; his characters are funny in a "laugh, or I'll break this bottle over your head" kind of way.

Even considering their depth as performers, it's doubtful that Denzel Washington or a post- Matrix Laurence Fishburne could have sustained the right blend of likeable badass and avenging angel of Harlem that Jackson manages to achieve in the role. As he accepted his golden popcorn bucket at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards, George Lucas�the King of Popcorn�predicted Jackson would return to claim next year's prize for his work in Shaft (or did he mean the next Star Wars movie?) Either way, this is what a Hollywood summer blockbuster should be; smart, witty, franchise fodder that still manages to deal with issues of race, corruption of justice and human foibles without becoming heavy-handed. By the way, the B+ rating stands for Bad Mothaf... Shut ya mouth! Any questions? Review © June 2000 by AboutFilm.Com and the author. Images � 1996 - 2000 by Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Shaft (2000) | PopMatters Shaft (2000) Representing It’s Isaac Hayes’s music, of course, that resonates.

Whatever else you say about that “complicated man” named John Shaft, that whaa-whaa-whaa theme song identifies him immediately, reminds you that he’s unbeatable, incorruptible, and indisputably fly. And so, despite the many changes the character undergoes for John Singleton’s much-anticipated update of the now-venerable original Shaft, when the music kicks in, you know who you’re dealing with. Or maybe not. The music is familiar and electrifying, but this Shaft is not who he used to be. Most obviously, he’s played by Samuel L. Jackson, not Richard Roundtree. So, while equally formidable, he’s more lean and mean, fiercer and more menacing than the old-school Shaft, who was consummately smooth, self-possessed and seductive. Jackson’s Shaft  or more precisely, Singleton-and-Jackson-and- producer-Scott-Rudin-and-Paramount’s Shaft, for he is plainly a carefully considered product  is also bald- headed with tightly organized facial hair, instead of wearing a proto-fro and impressive sideburns. But this new look only means that his fashion sense remains impeccable and timely.

Where in 1971 he wore beige turtlenecks and a buttersmooth brown leather trenchcoat (with close-fitting black leather pants and short-cropped jacket for the big finale), now he’s more inclined to black turtlenecks, knit caps, and Armani outfits. Still, for all the cool continuities and connections, it’s briefly disconcerting to see Jackson’s Shaft conversing with his Uncle John, played by Roundtree, mainly because Roundtree looks much the same as he did 30 years ago, beautiful, unafraid, and ever ready. Shaft Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jeffrey Wright, Vanessa Williams, Christian Bale, Busta Rhymes, Dan Hedaya, Toni Collette (Paramount) 2000 Shaft Jr. is still a ladies’ man, no doubt: the new film opens with shadowy images of sex with an anonymous lovely intercut with shiny bullets and gun on the dresser. This signals the hero’s mutation immediately, as Gordon Parks’s movie began with his signature divey-zoom NYC street shots, introducing Shaft Sr.

as a champion of the people, striding against traffic, flipping off drivers who didn’t know enough to give him the right of way. But Shaft the Younger is more emphatically focused on his job than on his woman, who may or may not be Alice (Sonja Sohn)  they’re surely intimate, but he doesn’t need her to make him feel like he’s not a “machine,” the way the first Shaft needed his woman. But the new Shaft has made the necessary social and political adjustments: he doesn’t sleep around  and certainly not with white girls with “groovy boobs” who pick him up in bars, as in the first film  and he’s willing to work with a woman cop, Carmen (Vanessa Williams), who’s almost as tough as he is and infinitely loyal. The supercool Carmen obviously derives from (or perhaps pays homage to) Pam Grier, in particular her role as Jax in the one commendable Steven Seagal movie, Above the Law: she looks good in jeans, outsmarts the villains, and understands her partner’s needs.

Certainly, Carmen embodies an appeal  or an appeasement  to a female “demo,” those viewers whom moviemakers presume don’t watch “male” action. That the film is attending conscientiously to box office numbers in this way has everything to do with the burden of representation it has been assigned. Shaft‘s production history is fraught with exactly these concerns. So, it’s been reported repeatedly that the uncle-nephew pairing was initially conceived as a father-son relationship, along with the fact that Singleton first wanted Don Cheadle for the title role but the studio wanted a “name” to open the film; or that Jeffrey Wright’s charismatic madman-villain, Peoples Hernandez, was first a minor character and then promoted to more screen time because Wright’s over-over-the-top performance is so stunningly fun and mean and whacky. Such changes and the (reported) ensuing tensions among the director, producer, star have made headlines for Entertainment Weekly and Access Hollywood and the like, such that the stakes of Shaft‘s first-weekend box office are escalated.

The film is now a potential franchise (all three principals have already said publicly that they’ll be on board for a next installment) and, most disturbingly, a portent for the commercial viability of black action flicks (Wesley, be aware), or black heroes (Denzel, are you listening?), or black anger-on-screen (everyone, pay attention). That the film is bearing such a burden is certainly unfair and altogether typical (as Spike Lee has often and rightly observed, no one expects white films or filmmakers to represent their race). And it’s not a little ironic that it is Shaft which is representing so importantly and so prominently this year, given its relatively humble lineage, descending from Parks’s low-budget surprise hit and bigger- surprise enduring classic (which was its own franchise, comprised of Parks’s own Shaft’s Big Score in 1972 and John Guillermin’s 1973 Shaft in Africa, and a short-lived TV show). Some of this burden has to do with the moment the film is arriving in theaters. Sadly, following the much- publicized run-ins between New York cops and black men of recent years, Shaft’s particular and multiple beefs with the system seem more immediate and relevant than ever.

And if the new Shaft has to kick ass a little more emphatically and with more explosiveness and ferocity than did his precursor, well, that’s just too damn bad. And besides, audiences are panting for action and effects, right? But the objects of Shaft’s furious takedowns aren’t always representative of that screwed-up system, whose demise would signal the coming end of said system. Actually, they tend to be  aside from an easy-target rich and cheeky white kid  products and emblems of the same ire that drives Shaft. And so, the major difference between the Shafts is, unsurprisingly, their plots. Where the first was a notoriously independent “private dick” who took on the white cop and criminal establishments, the current model faces a series of injustices that are both more overt and more insidious. He begins the film as a cop, but soon quits the force spectacularly, hurling his badge like a lethal weapon at a judge, so that it embeds itself in the wall behind the idiot’s head. Point taken. It’s infuriating being a black man in the year 2000, and Shaft acts out his rage in inventive and grandly cinematic ways.

Most directly, Shaft is mad because being a cop limits his ability to punish the guilty, in this case, a contemptuous Caucasian scion named Walter Wade (Christian Bale) who murders a black kid (Mekhi Phifer) during the film’s first five minutes. Called to the scene, Shaft instantly puts the pieces together, in a clever sequence that inserts him into the bar at the time of the altercation, watching along with the other patrons. Deducing that there’s a reluctant witness to the crime, a waitress named Diane (the always shapeshifting Toni Collette), Shaft also pegs Wade as the conscienceless killer. But his acumen and flashy policework aren’t enough, and in fact, when Shaft punches the suspect for sassing him, he lays the groundwork for Wade making bail (due to a sympathetic white judge) and skipping to Europe. Two years later, Wade comes home to find that he has incurred Shaft’s eternal wrath. And so, Shaft tosses him into jail alongside a maniacal local dealer named Peoples Hernandez. But here Wade makes a move that is fatal to his potential career as the film’s most compelling non-Shaft personality, when he makes a partner of Peoples.

Acting like the Joker and the Penguin, these two opposites  upscale Caucasian and underbelly Latino  decide to make Shaft pay for his many offenses against the enterprising. But run-of- the-mill psycho-whitey Wade is no match for Peoples (so named, he says, “because I take care of my peoples”), whose lunatic violence, in Wright’s interpretation, is nearly poetic, scarily innovative. In one of the film’s most appalling scenes, Peoples responds to a tragedy by stalking zombie-like down the street after Shaft, lamenting, “You best kill me, motherfucker!” while stabbing himself repeatedly in the chest with an icepick, his grisly weapon of choice. Though Peoples is clearly the most amazing character in the film, technically, he’s the underling, hired by Wade to take out Diane. This plot point means that Shaft and his few trustworthy associates  including the flamboyant Rasaan (Busta Rhymes)  must follow the standard plot wherein the good guys protect the witness so she can testify in court, that is, they act like they believe the system will work, despite all evidence to the contrary.

But anyone who knows anything about Shaft knows that the system doesn’t work, and this is the film’s more guileful point. In order to make it, this Shaft  written by Singleton, Richard Price (Clockers) and Shane Salerno (one of the writers responsible for Armageddon)  has to demonstrate its hero’s willingness  indeed, his eagerness  to step outside it. So, the film includes a minor incident in which a young mother exchanges information for Shaft’s promise to “do something” about the local banger who’s terrorizing her son into participating in gang activities. And Shaft takes the two minutes needed to smash in the culprit’s head, while the kid’s homies scatter in terror (much to the loud delight of the preview audience with whom I saw the film). The film is thick with such gruesome, righteous, and politically appropriative rampaging, as when Shaft must comfort the miserable mother (Lynne Thigpen, who, I think, has one line in the entire film) of the original victim.

Or, more incredibly, when Shaft decides enough is enough, and, while in mid-mission going after Wade and Peoples and a crew of bad cops, cocks his shotgun and announces, “It’s Giuliani time!” If the first version of Shaft offered a shrewd, bold role model, who was man enough to defy honky authority and be friendly with a gay white bartender, this one has concocted a full-on action hero, sensational, cruel, and ingenious. Shaft 2000’s assaults on bad guys  dealers, punks, corrupt cops, racists  are motivated, exciting, and expected, and always, a function of our time. Cynthia Fuchs is director of Film & Media Studies and Associate Professor of English, Film & Video Studies, African and African American Studies, Sport & American Culture, and Women and Gender Studies at George Mason University. Share via Dustin Putman's Review: Shaft (2000) - [TheMovieBoy] Shaft (2000) Directed by John Singleton Cast: Samuel L.

Jackson, Christian Bale, Jeffrey Wright, Vanessa Williams, Toni Collette, Dan Hedaya, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Busta Rhymes, Richard Roundtree, Josef Sommer, Lynne Thigpen, Lee Tergesen, Daniel Von Bargen, Mekhi Phifer. 2000  98 minutes (for profanity and violence). Reviewed by Dustin Putman, June 17, 2000. Without having seen Richard Roundtree in 1971's blaxploitation hit, "Shaft," this updated version, starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by John Singleton (1991's "Boyz N the Hood"), can safely stand on its own as a wildly diverting, if one-note, action-comedy-drama that moves at such a lickety-split pace, it's easy to get completely caught up in the happenings on screen, while they are happening. Once they are over, the film ultimately loses much of its novelty, but as an "in-the-moment" popcorn entertainment, it works wonders. Following the fatal beating of a young black man outside a New York City nightclub, and the evidence pointing towards Walter Wade, Jr.

(Christian Bale), a wealthy bigot, NYPD investigator John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson), one of the biggest badasses to ever hit the silver screen, hops on the case. He is quickly discharged, however, after giving Wade a taste of his own medicine (i.e. punching him twice in the face for the wrong Shaft knows for certain he did). Due to the one potential witness in the case, Diane Palmieri (Toni Collette), disappearing, Wade is unjustifiably set a bale of only $1-million, and before everyone knows it, he has skipped the country, relocating to Switzerland. Flash forward two years, John Shaft is now on the narcotics unit of the police force, with a fellow cop partner in Carmen (Vanessa Williams). When Shaft learns that Wade is making his grand return to the U.S., he makes sure to be there for the plane arrival, and this time, he is certain that he can put him behind bars for good.

But first, Shaft must find Diane and persuade her to testify in court, and dodge the increasing number of people in his life who are working for Wade, including corrupt cops (Dan Hedaya, Ruben Santiago-Hudson) and the wisecracking, hotshot Dominican druglord, Peoples Hernandez (Jeffrey Wright). Like the title character, "Shaft" wastes no time in drawing the viewer into its derivative, yet engrossing, storyline. Nothing at all would matter, though, if Shaft were not portrayed with the correct measures of sleek coolness, attitude, and an at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek tone. In Samuel L. Jackson, director Singleton has found the perfect actor, and in "Shaft," the clearly talented Jackson has found what is possibly his most outstanding role, to date. The acting abilities of Jackson have never been doubted, but he also has never jumped so vibrantly off the screen as he does here, playing the character he was born to play. In short, he is funny, likable, oh-so-kewl, and projects a distinct joy of performing. Supporting Jackson is a top-notch cast, not all of whom are used to their highest potential, but who are fine, all the same.

Christian Bale, in a role that is virtually identical to the one he played in "American Psycho," is fabulous and appropriately chilling, turning his one-dimensional bad guy into one of the most memorable characters, and most impressive acting turns, in the entire film. Jeffrey Wright, as Peoples, is the secondary villain of the piece, and he is so good it is difficult to believe he is the same man who starred in 1996's "Basquiat." Fresh off her Academy Award nomination for "The Sixth Sense," Toni Collette does a respectable job as Diane Palmieri, but has little to do. And Vanessa Williams, as Carmen, is, in essence, the straight man to Shaft's flashier persona, and equips herself with a good-natured blandness. With Shaft's groovy token theme song, by Isaac Hayes, prominently appearing at several points throughout, as far as can be told, "Shaft" successfully recaptures the feel of the 1971 original, but with a bare minimum of sexual innuendo. The film is action-lite, the type of high-spirited motion picture that knows it isn't great art, but thrives on this fact.

Director Singleton, along with coscreenwriters Richard Price and Shane Salerno, and star Jackson, have all put their heads and hearts together to create a movie that will delight anyone looking for a big, silly action movie that seemingly succeeds without really trying, and doesn't add up to a whole lot in the long run. Special Note: Producer Jerry Bruckheimer should be especially distressed to learn that the car chases within this film are infinitely more thrilling and fun than in his recent "Gone in 60 Seconds," a complete misfire that is supposed to be all about chase sequences, but never gets it right. ©2000 by Dustin Putman Shaft Is Getting The Reboot Treatment - CINEMABLEND Shaft Is Getting The Reboot Treatment By Eric Eisenberg 1 year ago Many of you will remember that Shaft was already given the reboot treatment back in 2000, but it seems that Hollywood thinks enough time has passed to bring the franchise back again. Can you dig it? The Wrap has picked up on news that New Line Cinemas - a subsidiary of Warner Bros. - has picked up the rights to the Shaft franchise and is now planning on rebooting it for a new theatrical release.

As the project is obviously very much in early days, there are no writers or director attached to the project just yet, but John Davis - the producer behind movies likes I, Robot , Norbit , and Predators , is attached to navigate the film through development. In the original Shaft, which first calme out in 1971, Richard Roundtree starred as the titular John Shaft, a private detective who is hired by a crime lord to rescue the criminal's kidnapped daughter. In the 2000 version, however, which was directed by John Singleton, Samuel L. Jackson starred as the original Shaft's nephew and served as a NYPD detective making sure that a wealthy criminal (played by Christian Bale) didn't get away with a racially-motivated murder. The Wrap's report suggests that it's unclear at this point if the new film will continue going down the family line, or if there are plans to ignore all previous continuity and move forward with something new.

Regardless of the direction they go, however, one thing that they better not change is the epic Isaac Hayes-performed theme song that may even be more iconic in pop culture these days than the original movie: It's honestly kind of surprising that it took this long for us to hear about a brand new Shaft movie. The 2000 film wasn't exactly a huge blockbuster, but it got decent reviews and wound up taking in $107 million worldwide (which wasn't shabby at all for an R-rated movie back then). Depending on what's involved in the plot, cop movies aren't typically that expensive to make, which is a good incentive for Hollywood to keep pumping them out, and everyone knows that the industry loves to take advantage of a brand - which Shaft most certainly is. It's easy to expect that a lot of people will be interesting in the filmmakers who are ultimately chosen to make this new version of Shaft, but what will naturally be even bigger and more exciting is finding out who will play this generation's version of the titular character. Who will it be? David Oyewolo ? Anthony Mackie ? Jamie Foxx? Tell us who you think should get the job in the comments below.

Subscribe To Topics You're Interested In close 'Shaft' Reboot? Shut Your Mouth! | Movie News | Movies.com Movies.com > Movie News > 'Shaft' Reboot? Shut Your Mouth! 'Shaft' Reboot? Shut Your Mouth! 'Shaft' Reboot? Shut Your Mouth! Tweet Way back in 1971, John Shaft was a trailblazing character, an assertive African-American private investigator played by Richard Roundtree who never backed down from the police and was catnip to the ladies. Shaft won an Academy Award for Isaac Hayes' iconic theme song and was a big hit at the box office, spawning two sequels. It also inspired a remake in 2000, starring Samuel L. Jackson as the nephew of John Shaft, who faced off against the villainous Christian Bale. Now a new version is under development, with veteran producer John Davis (Predator) and his production company taking charge for New Line studio. No other details have been revealed yet, although The Wrap is reporting that a new actor will be cast in the lead role.

While the original Shaft was very much a product of his time, especially in regard to his cavalier attitude toward woman, the 2000 remake modified his behavior, tamping down his sexual activity and fleshing out his personality, as well as the supporting characters, to produce something closer to a straight dramatic movie that also featured action sequences, rather than a straight action blockbuster. To attempt to remake the original, with its dated sexism and slang intact, would be foolhardy. On the other hand, making John Shaft into a politically correct character would be equally foolish. As a comparison point, Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua teamed to make a big-screen version of The Equalizer that earned more than $192 million at the worldwide box office. While the original TV version featured a Caucasian actor, the character's race was never an issue in the series, and neither is it an issue in the movie; he's simply a man with a particular set of skills who cannot stand idly by while a grave injustice against a young woman is committed.

John Shaft, on the other hand, is entirely a proactive character, a proud African-American man who is respected in his community for the principled stand he has taken against corruption, and his refusal to ignore racism on the part of authority figures. But, while he respects the law, he doesn't hesitate to commit a few "minor" offenses in pursuit of the greater good as he sees it. Now the question becomes how to strike a balance and create a new character who will "risk his neck for his brother man" and "won't cop out when there's danger all about," as Isaac Hayes sang in 1971. Who will be that new "black private [eye]"? Just for fun, here's Isaac Hayes performing the original theme song at the Academy Awards ceremony, complete with Sammy Davis Jr.'s reaction afterward.

Question: Who played John Shaft in the 2000 film version of 'Shaft'?
Answer: Samuel L Jackson